looking back would you say......

credcat7 · October 2013

Just wondering how you all perceive year one

shaunnna · October 2013

I voted that I thought it would have been harder. However, I have had NO experience with children or babies, so I really didn't know what to expect. (My DS is still the only baby I have ever held...) I guess I must have expected the worst.

That said, it has not been easy! I had a super smooth, uneventful pregnancy followed by a somewhat difficult labor ending in a cesarean section. I beat myself up over not being able to breastfeed DS even though I was able to for seven weeks!

From then on out it was pretty easy... At least with dealing with DS. For other reasons, this past year has been pretty hard. FI got a DUI the same day he got an amazing job... We found out a couple months later he has Hep C along with him dealing with unrelated and still unexplained severe pain.

One of the only things I think that I knew would be hard, but was harder than I imagined was doing this without my family here. The few times my mom, dad, or brother visited made a huge difference (and tomorrow my mom and grandma will be here!). So even though we're all pretty much strangers in the big scheme of things, you ladies have been a huge support system for me. Sometimes I really just needed to read about other women going through similar (yet different) things as me. I even have made an IRL friend!

Sorry for being so long, but thanks to you all.

ssmb_clarinet · October 2013

I'm SS....the first 3-4 months were hell. She was so angry all the time. Crying when she wasn't eating or sleeping. I spent many nights crying, wondering what I was doing wrong. Why my baby hated me. But after that it got much easier than I expected. She is now a happy, healthy 11 month old and pretty much all smiles. I attribute her hellish beginning to breastfeeding. Sounds bad but I was determined to EBF and I think she needed more than I wad pumping and therefore an angry baby. Not sure if that's true or not, but once we started supplementing she was a much happier baby!

Just like PP, she was the first baby I ever held, so that part was all new and scary but we managed ok. Its been quite the ride and I can't believe tomorrow she will be 11 months old!

shella923 · October 2013

I said easier because I was also referring to first three months . I thought all the people who said sleep while you can were just complainers / haters . Boy was I wrong! But now it's awesome and so fun!

datagirl79 · October 2013

I say its about as much change as I expected. The first 6 months on little sleep were hard, but overall she's been an easy baby.

I would say the change has happened with accomdating doing things with one extra person. Its a lot harder to go out and do things now, but managable, just a change.

Hummingbirdbaby3 · October 2013

I thought it wouldn't cause any irritation between DH and I. BUT, I take the blame for that. He never stressed and never overreacted. But when I did, it would cause tension. Also, I had a really hard time letting him help. DEFINITELY won't be doing that next time around. Haha. But I do think that second time around will be much much easier in all aspects.

viking15 · October 2013

I voted SS because although it is about as expected now I was taken by surprise at the beginning how she would not let me put her down for the first 3 months of her life. She would cry in the car, stroller, swing, crib or anywhere not in someone's arms. That was not something I knew about infants. That was really hard and got me into the world of baby wearing and wrapping.

LuckyMissus · October 2013

The only thing that's been harder than I imagined has been going back to work.

I knew it was going to suck, but my gooooodness those first 2 months were insane. He was still getting up to eat a few times MOTN, I was pumping all night and day, DH was transitioning to being a SAHD, we were in the middle of crappy 4-month wakeful naps, and then we did sleep training.

I'm getting sleepy just thinking about it. But hey, I survived!! And you all were so supportive!

datagirl79 · October 2013

viking15 said:

I voted SS because although it is about as expected now I was taken by surprise at the beginning how she would not let me put her down for the first 3 months of her life. She would cry in the car, stroller, swing, crib or anywhere not in someone's arms. That was not something I knew about infants. That was really hard and got me into the world of baby wearing and wrapping.

I was not expecting that either. My coworkers thought my maternity leave was like a vacation. Nope. You hold a baby 12 hours a day because she doesn't like it when you put her down. (I didn't discover baby wearing until I went back to work, and surprisingly she did fine at day care)

credcat7 · October 2013

@kiraliz2 I don't have the memory to recall that you had such a rough time... belated hugs

kristin7701 · October 2013

I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised. My little girl has been the easiest of my 3 so far, though I'm sure she'll give me a run for my money when she's a teen! Don't get me wrong, 3 kids isn't easy but girlfriend taught herself to sleep through the night, sucks her thumb for comfort, nursed better than the other 2 combined and is just always happy. The boys are awesome though (just not easy babies).

kristin7701 · October 2013

kiraliz2 said:
SS: It was fucking AWFUL the first 4 months, and now it's pretty easy.

I feel ya. My first had undiagnosed food allergies and H was deployed for the first 6 months (during which time DS never slept for more than 2 hrs at a time).

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